Think Twice Before Letting Your Child Have A Day Off

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.

POOR ATTENDANCE CAN MEAN MORE THAN JUST MISSING OUT ON SOME LEARNING


What is considered as “poor attendance” is determined on a case by case basis. However, under the legislation, if a student of compulsory school age is absent from school for five days within a school year and without a reasonable excuse, then further action can be taken, at the discretion of the principal.

IF YOU ARE NOT AT SCHOOL WHAT DO I MISS OUT ON?

You miss out on all the big stuff – class discussions and all the interaction that happens in a classroom, the chance to get help from teachers and the opportunity to practice skills and gain knowledge.

Being away means you might miss out on a lot of learning or that you need to catch up in your time.

If all of that isn’t enough to convince you to be at school every day, being away also means you also miss out on playing with your friends. Being away from school a lot can be lonely. It has a big impact on relationships and social connections.

Believe it or not, everyone wants you at school and it really is better when you attend.

Top attendance tips for parents

  • Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
  • Remember that every day counts
  • There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
  • Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
  • Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
  • Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
  • Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Absences relate to decling results

This graph shows the results from studying over 415,000 individual students. As absence rates increase, NAPLAN results dramatically decline.


Source: Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes: Every Day Counts; Hancock, Shephard, Lawrence & Zubrick, 2013


For more information, please read the following articles:
The importance of attendance at primary schoolSchool is better when you're here - Primary student informationStudent attendance and educational outcomes research paper

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